The BreadCast

(Gn.15:5-12,17-18; Ps.27:1,7-9,13-14; Phil.3:17-4:1; Lk.9:28-36) "A cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud." As darkness thus covered the three apostles, so "a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him." Both find themselves surrounded by darkness and filled with fear. In just this way the Lord brings His revelations. For as the Lord is about to pronounce beyond doubt that Jesus is the Messiah, so He is about to send "a flaming torch" to pass between Abram's offerings and so confirm his taking possession of the Promised Land. The Lord must act in such manner to cleanse all foolishness from our souls, that we might hear His most pure Word. But light comes out of the darkness: indeed, "the Lord is [our] light and [our] salvation" – He Himself is not darkness. And so as the fire of the torch pierces the dark night upon Abram's mind, so the chief apostles are privileged to see Jesus' glory, to witness in fullness the Light the Son of God is. And the Lord God leaves no doubt with them that it is of Jesus He says, "This is my chosen Son," for though the greatest men of Jewish history had also "appeared in glory" with Jesus, now He is "found alone" – and the apostles are left speechless. It must pass to the marrow of our bones, the Truth of Christ's salvation. If in any way superficial or "occupied with earthly things" is our vision, Him we have not known. He alone stands as our "life's refuge"; in Him alone do we find God's presence – Him alone should our "glance" seek. But as we pray, "Hide not your face from me," we should realize how profound is the prayer we make. For the Lord indeed "will change our lowly body to conform with His glorified body" when He appears at the end of the age, but consider for a moment what it will be like to have that power of refinement upon ourselves. Very much like the darkness which envelops the apostles and Abram today; very much like the dark night of the soul of which our great saints speak. Are you prepared to have the Lord separate soul from spirit with His sword of Truth? Do you know this piercing, fiery process even now? Then even in this world you shall begin to behold His face, and find yourself ready on that Day to be taken from earthly to heavenly tents. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "White" from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, help us to stand ready before the terrifying glory revealed in your Son. YHWH, you are our light in the darkness of this world; though the dark threaten to envelop us, you are there to save us – even in the darkness we find your fire purifying our souls for entering your presence. To your glory you call us; the land of Heaven you promise us. And that promise is set firmly upon the law and the prophets, and that promise is fulfilled in your Son. He is our hope as we pass through the temptations of this life knowing we are citizens of Heaven. O LORD, let us be conformed to His glorified Body! You have given witness to Jesus, that He is your Chosen One. You call us to listen to Him, to seek only Him: He shines as the stars in the night sky, leading us to your glory. May our hearts be set on Him alone and we shall not be afraid. O LORD, hide not your face from us.

(Dt.26:4-10; Ps.91:1-2,10-15; Rom.10:8-13; Lk.4:1-13) "To His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways." Can there be any doubt that the Lord God will bear Jesus up through His temptations in the desert, that He "will deliver Him and glorify Him"? For if "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," will the Father leave His Son "in distress"? If He has rescued David from "the lion and the dragon," will He not also "set [Jesus] on high," apart from any danger? If the Israelites say: "We cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and He heard our cry" – and so delivered them from the "affliction" and "toil" and "oppression" of Egyptian slavery – will the deliverance of the Holy One from Satan's clutches be long in coming? Indeed the angels watch over Him, for His name is joined to that of the Father. And indeed it is His name we now call upon in our need. As Paul tells us, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." And so He who has been preserved from the devil's temptation now becomes the source of our own salvation – we find ourselves now protected as He, blessed by our faith in the Lord of all. I notice again how the temptations present in our gospel are indicated, and answered, in our first reading and psalm. Of course, the devil himself attempts to use our quote from Psalm 91 to bring the Lord to ruin – showing how Scripture can indeed be twisted to perverse ends – foolishly failing to see that the quote would prove ultimately true. And the Israelites' bringing their tithe to God, saying, "I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me," reveals the sacrifice that verifies that "one does not live by bread alone"; while Moses' instruction that they then "bow down in [God's] presence" confirms that "Him alone shall [we] serve." O devil, all your temptations will be in vain; can you not see the fruitlessness of your acts? You cannot harm Him who holds your life in His hands, and so why do you not turn and, as the faithful angels, learn to love and serve the Holy One? Brothers and sisters, it is too late for this "viper" to come to truth, but not for any man who will confess that Jesus is the Christ. So let us preach to the ends of the earth by the power of deliverance from sin won by our Lord that "No one who believes in Him will be put to shame." Oh that all souls would be saved! Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Chicken or the Egg" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let us bow down before you and serve you alone, and we shall be blessed with your protection. YHWH, bring us out of Egypt by your strong hand; lead us from the desert by your great power. Save us from temptation and bring us with your Son into the Promised Land. We call upon your NAME, O LORD: save us! We believe that Jesus is LORD with you and that you have raised Him from the dead – let us not be put to shame. Help us to endure in the face of the devil; your Word be ever upon our tongues. O let us trust in you that we shall be delivered from all trials, trampling down the lion and the dragon by the intercession of your angels. You protect us, dear God, and give us all the food we need to thrive in this land of exile. With you at our side, we shall not be afraid. By the grace upon your Son let us be redeemed from the power of the evil one and enter into your kingdom with a song of praise.

(Sir.35:1-12; Ps.50:5-8,14,23; Mk.10:28-31) "The just man's sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it ever be forgotten." Peter is moved today to voice his fear that all that he and his fellow apostles have offered, even their very lives, will not be enough to secure the kingdom of God. But Jesus reassures all who serve Him: "I give you my word, there is no one who has given up home, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children or property, for me and for the Gospel who will not receive in this present age a hundred times as many… and persecution besides – and in the age to come, everlasting life." None should fear that their sacrifice will be wasted, "for the Lord is one who always repays," and repays in full, multiplying whatever gifts we offer beyond our expectations. "But offer no bribes, these He does not accept!" You will never be able to extort graces from the Lord, and so should always come without expectation of return. Make all your sacrifices as "freewill gifts," for only that which is given "generously" and "in a spirit of joy" does He smile upon. Bring your gifts to the altar expecting nothing but the cross, in this find your return, and the glory of the resurrection shall indeed be yours. You must learn from those whom the Lord rebukes, though their "holocausts are before [Him] always" – only "he that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies" the Lord, and so you must find joy in your cross. Oh how "the just man's offering enriches the altar and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High." "He who observes the commandments" and "gives alms," he who performs "works of charity," who "refrain[s] from evil" and "avoid[s] injustice"… oh how this man "pleases the Lord"! For his life is as a "sacrifice of praise," an offering of peace and an atonement for sin, which cannot but reach to the throne of God. Yes, "to him that goes the right way [the Lord] will show the salvation of God." Of this you can be assured. ******* O LORD, the more we give you our lives, the more we are blessed, for the more we are of you. YHWH, what is it you desire from us but to be generous as you are, to share all your gifts with others? None is more generous than you; none could give a greater number of blessings here on this earth and in the heavenly kingdom. Yet, do we trust in you and in your generosity, in the great wealth that only you possess? All things are in your hands, O LORD. Let us learn this simple lesson. All things are in your hands and you give them freely and abundantly to those who serve you faithfully. Though there be a cross we must bear in this world, how light it is made by the graces you pour upon us, by the love you share with all your disciples. And so, let us give alms, let us be just, and let us do all with a cheerful countenance; and we shall reflect your glory in this world and carry even now your presence in our souls. LORD, to the end let us follow in your way and offer ever a sacrifice of praise, and your blessings will be forever upon us.

(Sir.17:19-27; Ps.32:1-2,5-7,11; Mk.10:17-27) "Jesus fixed His gaze on them and said, 'For man it is impossible but not for God.'" With these incisive words and particularly with this intent look, Jesus "encourages those who are losing hope." His disciples are "completely overwhelmed" at His statement: "It is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and to keep them from falling into despair at the impossibility of such a proposition, He seeks to teach them that "with God all things are possible." For truly none can be saved but by the grace of God. "As Jesus was setting out on a journey a man came running up, knelt down before Him and asked, 'Good Teacher, what must I do to share in everlasting life?'" How like "the penitent [for whom] He provides a way back" is this man on his knees before the Lord today. And even after the Lord seems to rebuff his advance, how he persists, begging further word from the Master with the reply to Jesus' listing of certain commandments, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my childhood." Please tell me more, he seems to cry out. And so "Jesus looked at him with love," a love that is beyond the bounds of this world and beyond the bounds of the law – a love that makes all things possible, even the attainment of the kingdom of God, even for us wretched sinners. "How great the mercy of the Lord, His forgiveness of those who return to Him!" "Happy is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered"; for among the dead we would be if not for His divine mercy. But oh "how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God." Though wrought with the Lord's grace, how difficult it is to accompany Christ on His journey. For our hearts are not on His love but on the things we must give up, and so, how readily we turn away in sadness. It is indeed out of love Jesus calls the rich man from his possessions to His side; this is indeed an immeasurable grace pouring forth from the heart of God… but who among us can accept it? Who among us truly seeks everlasting life? "God watches over the host of highest heaven, while all men are dust and ashes." While "the thoughts of flesh and blood" are obscure, as the wise man tells us, and his possessions of even less consequence; while the sun itself "can be eclipsed" and all things of the earth are passing… yet the kingdom of the Lord endures and holds promise of shelter for the contrite spirit of a humble man. For dust may pass easily through the eye of any needle, and we can be united with the vision of God; for us too all things are made possible, if we humble ourselves in the ashes – if we fall sincerely at the feet of the Lord, and accept His word. ******* O LORD, help us freely renounce all of this world. YHWH, please help us to inherit eternal life; though we must die first, though we must give up all things of this world, let us not look at what is lost but what is gained, being forever with you in Heaven. Why should we prefer the riches of this life to life everlasting; why should we not want to be at Jesus' side even here where we stand? It is a fool who desires passing things to those that last; LORD, give us the wisdom and courage to do what is right. You would let nothing stand in our way to you, LORD; all blindness and sin you would drown in the sea. You would not remember our transgressions against you or our failure to heed your call… let us turn again and kneel before your Son. Then we shall praise you with all the living on high. It is not death we should fear or the renunciation of our goods. Let us rather fear disobedience toward you and the loss of the kingdom. O LORD, truly let us be cleansed of the guilt of our sin, that with clear eyes and open hearts we might follow you.

(Sir.27:4-7; Ps.92:2-3,13-16; 1Cor.15:54-58; Lk.6:39-45) "Be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord." Brothers and sisters, "in the Lord your labor is not in vain," for "the just one shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow." If you are "planted in the house of the Lord," "vigorous and sturdy" shall you ever be, "bear[ing] fruit even in old age." You shall remove "the wooden beam" that plagues your eye and thus find the vision to remove the splinter from the eye of your brother. You will be like your teacher, like the Lord, sharing in the power only He possesses. "When fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher." And we must be trained, we must be tested in tribulation, molded in the furnace of the Lord's chastising Word. We must know that "a good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit," and so if there is rottenness come from us, we must cast it in the fire. For only goodness should be born from the store of our heart, and that in abundance, else how shall we be called disciples of Jesus… how shall we be like Him in every way? Falling short of His perfection will not get us where we want to be: we must see that "this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility." Our readings today equate work with speech, the quintessential human activity, one which indeed shows "the bent of one's mind." And so when the Lord says, "From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks," He indicates not only the words passing our lips but all the actions that follow in their wake. By these fruits, as by our words, shall we be tested and judged. Thus must our hearts and our words and all our actions be founded in Jesus, the tree of life. "The fruit of a tree shows the care it has had." Only by a man's fruit shall you know him. And what does your fruit speak of you? What does your speech reveal? Do you "sing praise to [the Lord's] name" in all you do; do you declare the glory of the "Most High" with every word? Brothers and sisters, only what is hard and true is lasting; only what is rooted in Him can stand the test of holy fire. Perform all your labor according to the mold Christ prepares, and your fruit shall reach unto heaven. Written, read, and chanted by James Kurt. Music: "Branch of the Vine" from Loving Spirit, third album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, remove the wooden beam from our eye that we might praise you with all our lives. YHWH, let us be fully devoted to your work and our labor will not be in vain. Rather, planted in your House, we shall flourish and bear fruit even in old age. O let us produce good from a good heart! Indeed, it is of the heart the mouth speaks; from what is in our heart come our words and all our actions. And so, how much do we need you to be present within us, O LORD; without your Son how shall we find victory over sin and death, which so pervade this dark place and hover before our eyes? Let us not be blind, dear LORD. Let us not fail to recognize our faults, our shortcomings before your holy light. Let us freely subject ourselves to the tribulation that shall purify our hearts, our thoughts, our words and actions… that we might reflect your glory even in this world, doing your work all our days and coming to immortality with Jesus your Son.

(Sir.17:1-15; Ps.103:13-18; Mk.10:13-16) "Let the children come to me and do not hinder them." O how the Lord "looks with favor upon [our] hearts, and shows [us] His glorious works"! And because "His majestic glory their eyes beheld, His glorious voice their ears heard," so the "people were bringing their little children to Jesus to have Him touch them," so they were offering their precious loved ones into the arms of the Savior. And should we not all come to Him, should we not all run into His arms… are we not all His children? Brothers and sisters, "the Lord from the earth created man, and in His own image He made him." Do you hear that? In His own image we are made, as His sons and daughters. "He endows [us] with a strength of His own… He forms our tongues and eyes and ears, and imparts to [us] an understanding heart." He makes us as Himself, and then fills us with His presence! And should we not come to Him, should we not come to His only Son, our own dear brother, the perfection of our race, that all disfigurement might be taken from us and we might radiate the light of God, that we might be remade in His image? The Lord is only love and "His eyes are ever upon [our] ways" to guide us to His love. He is "as a father [who] has compassion on his children." Yes, "the kindness of the Lord is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear Him," and those who fear Him are His children. But this fear, this overwhelming awe at the love the Maker of the universe has toward His simple creatures, is not one which makes us run from Him, but which moves us to leap into the arms of our Redeemer, into the arms of Him whose arms are always open to receive us, always open to embrace His children. We know our blessed brother John has told us with holy affection that "we are God's children now" (1Jn.3:2). Of this grace at the hands of our Lord he has spoken most eloquently, most simply – most lovingly. And it is so for all who love Him. And so we should not hinder our hearts from coming to Him, from embracing Him as He embraces us… from giving ourselves to Jesus (particularly in the Sacrament), that we might be formed in His image. Come to Him who is one with the Father, and one with the Father you shall become. ******* O LORD, only your children come to you; welcome us into your kingdom. YHWH, let us come to you as children, trusting in your love. And you will embrace us, and you will bless us… and we will come into your kingdom on high. We are but dust, O LORD, and our days pass like those of the grass. A breath from your mouth and we are gone. But it is your Breath that gives us life, that makes us wise, that makes us holy – that causes us to share in your glory. You have created us from the earth but have endowed us with a spirit like your own. Let us know your kindness upon us that we may endure unto eternity. LORD, let us remain in awe of you, ever grateful for the gifts that you give us, for the wonder that is upon us every day of our lives. Let us not be separated from you but always be as your children, innocent and obedient and humble as you. To your Son let us run and so find a home in His flesh and blood, and so be adopted into your love.

(Sir.6:5-17; Ps.119:12,16,18,27,34-35; Mk.10:1-12) "They are no longer two but one flesh." How much more clearly could the Lord speak of the unity found in marriage and so the respect due this sacrament? How better could He get His point across to you that marriage is indissoluble, that it is not to be played with, that you commit adultery as you consider divorcing your spouse? "At the beginning of creation God made them male and female." And by this Jesus does not mean that two separate creatures were made – He means that every one of God's human beings is both male and female, and that in marriage one finds his wholeness in the sight of God. When Adam was formed of the dust of the earth, Eve was already present within him, in his very body. She was not created apart from him, but taken from him, "from man" – which is the meaning of "woman." Adam when he was first made held both male and female in himself, and when woman was taken from him, built of his rib, the two did not cease to be one. Thus does he recognize Eve as flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. Thus the two are inseparable. In marriage this inherent unity returns, is fulfilled. "Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined." And if "a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; [and] he who finds one finds a treasure," how much more of a shelter is a spouse in whose body one makes his home – how much more valuable a treasure? A friend and more is made by the marriage vow, for truly the spouses become one with one another, and one with the Lord. And so, "when you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him." Know that you are joining yourself to this spouse body and soul, and such commitment is not to be taken lightly or falsely, with an eye toward leaving "when sorrow comes." Beware, lest you find "a friend who becomes an enemy," or that you yourself are not a trustworthy mate. For once joined you cannot be separated, try in vain as you will. One might as well cut off a healthy limb as seek divorce, so grotesque is the proposal. Worse than this, it is as cutting out one's heart, for how can one divide blood that is commingled? But you who are faithful of heart, know what blessing awaits you, for "a faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds." And if you seek "discernment, that [you] may observe [God's] law and keep it with all [your] heart," your spouse shall serve as savior to you, who are united with her to Christ. In her you will find your life, even as the two become one. ******* O LORD, may we take refuge in your friendship. YHWH, bless all marriages this day; may there be true, lasting friendship between all who vow their love for one another. May they understand the commitment they make and the grace that comes to those faithful to it. Let us not think that we can separate at will, O LORD; help us to realize the bond that comes even from you in this holy sacrament. Let us not harden our hearts against your loving will but sacrifice our desires to find union with that love. Let us never be adulterous in our relationships with one another or with you. You would make a sturdy shelter for all those who marry in your NAME and in the blood of your only Son. LORD, what could be of greater worth to us than a faithful friend, a faithful husband or wife, and a marriage founded in your surpassing love? Open all eyes to the wonders you hold for those who love as you command. Write your NAME upon our hearts and upon our wedding promises.

(Sir.5:1-8; Ps.1:1-4,6,40:50; Mk.9:41-50) "Mercy and anger are alike with Him; upon the wicked alights His wrath." "The way of the wicked vanishes." It must vanish. It cannot but vanish, for there is no place for wickedness in the kingdom of God. And so, what is wicked must "be thrown into Gehenna": what is to "enter life" must be purified. Thus does the Lord command – Cut off your hand! Cut off your foot! Tear out your eye! Remove even with violence whatever causes you to sin to preserve your life unto heaven. For it is indeed better that you "enter life maimed" or "crippled" or "with one eye," than to have your whole body cast into the fires of hell. Do you fear being "plunged into the sea with a great millstone fastened around [your] neck"? Does this seem a terrible fate? The fires of hell are infinitely worse, and those of purgatory approach them. Know that "everyone will be salted with fire"; everyone must be purified of sin. And you can refuse this truth and so find yourself in the place "the worm does not die and the fire is never extinguished," you can delay your purgation and suffer a measure of these flames in the state of purification after death – or you can remove the sin from your soul by the grace of God now, while there is yet time and His mercy is yet abundant. "Great is His mercy; my many sins He will forgive," you say, and you are not wrong. But do you know how the mercy of God affects the sinful soul? Do you think it a pleasant experience to be cleansed, to be refined as by fire? Do you not understand that the Lord's love and justice, His mercy and anger, are one for the wicked. Yes, "the Lord will exact the punishment" that brings refreshment and renewal. He must. How else shall you be purged and purified for heaven? All the sins upon your blackened soul are removed only by the chastising flames of His love. So, "delay not your conversion to the Lord, put it not off from day to day." Be not a fool "adding sin upon sin," for every transgression must be accounted for. But the Lord's blood will wash me clean, you may say, if you have some sense of His redemptive sacrifice. Yes, but it is still your soul that must be cleansed, and you shall own the purgatorial fires. And so, hasten this day to the confessional; turn resolutely from your sin. Then pray for the Lord's indulgence, and you may be spared even temporal punishment for your transgressions (and even serve in the Lord's stead to release others from the pain of purgatorial flames). ******* O LORD, we will all be salted with fire – may our souls be preserved from your wrath. YHWH, let your wrath not suddenly flame forth to destroy our lives; the way of the wicked let us not walk that the unquenchable fire we shall never know. You cannot but be angry with those who persist in sin – you cannot pretend that such evil does not exist or look past the hardened heart. All will know your purgatorial flames, but may they be redeeming for every soul. Why are we so foolish, O LORD? Why do we not turn to you this day, this hour, and delight in the Law you offer for our salvation? Should we not walk the way of love your Son has set forth for us and seek to soothe His desire for our love by meditating on your Word and serving those who bring it to us? Let us not be cast into the sea with a millstone around our necks, LORD, but drink in the running water that comes from your Church, from the side of Christ. Only this will quench the fires of your wrath.

(Sir.4:11-19; Ps.119:165,168,171-172,174-175; Mk.9:38-40) "Those who serve her serve the Holy One; those who love her the Lord loves." Such is wisdom, she who "instructs her children and admonishes those who seek her," she under whose counsel we become the children of God. And I cannot help but think as I contemplate this personification of wisdom, how well and how appropriately she is embodied by our Blessed Mother, she who was immaculately conceived, she under whose mantle even Jesus our Savior "advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man" (Lk.2:52). "To Jesus through Mary" is the motto of the fortunate souls who have consecrated themselves to the Virgin (even as St. Louis De Montfort most wisely instructs), and it is through her intercession that we find God's graces and favors lovingly bestowed upon us. She is our dear Mother, and instructs us as she has her Son. Indeed it is His beloved disciple John whom the Lord must admonish today, teaching him that those who do the Lord's work serve Him, and these He blesses; and, of course, it is this same disciple to whom Jesus will entrust His Blessed Mother – and she to him – even while dying on the cross: "He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son.' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home" (Jn.19:26-27). And now as she has taught Him, so she shall teach His beloved, shall teach all His Church, how to follow the Holy One. And certainly the home into which John gathered the Virgin Mary was more than an earthly domicile: even "from that hour" he took her into his heart. And she is with us still; she is with him who remains (see Jn.21:20-23), with the Church here on earth, serving as our Mother, guiding us in all wisdom. And, my brother, my sister, do not be discouraged if "at first she puts [you] to the test… and tries [you] with her discipline," for she only seeks to learn that your "heart is fully with her," and so, fully with her Son; she only longs to teach you wisdom. She will come back "to bring [you] happiness and reveal her secrets" to you. And as long as you remain with her, she will hold you in her loving arms as no other mother, and form you in the divine image of her blessed Son. O Lord, "those who love your law have great peace," for in your wisdom all question and doubt flee. Discipline me by your Word and form me in the womb of your Blessed Mother. "Let my soul live to praise you," for I would be in your company forever. May your wisdom and grace keep me from "the hands of despoilers." ******* O LORD, your wisdom transcends Heaven and earth; let us listen to your instruction. YHWH, let us never be against you, never fail in our embrace of the wisdom and grace that pour forth from your throne. Into your glory let us come, obediently following in the way of your Son, listening ever to His words of instruction. If we serve Him and love Him we will know the blessings that are upon Him through you and the Spirit. Let us not be forgetful, O LORD, forgetful of the blessings we have known or the ones which are yet promised us if we continue along the path your precepts mark out for us in this dark world. Because the world is dark, you must sometimes hide your face from us, you must sometimes seem dark to our minds, which are clouded over by sin and the inclination to sin. But if we reach out to you, if we seek your will, trusting in your love, we will indeed come soon to sing your praise in the surpassing light of your kingdom. Let us fear no discipline, LORD, but rather rejoice in carrying our cross with your Son.

(Sir.2:1-11; Ps.37:3-5,18-19,27-28,39-40; Mk.9:30-37) "My son, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials." Is Jesus not "teaching His disciples in this vein" when He speaks of His imminent death, a death they shall share, and calls them to "remain the least one of all and the servant of all," even as He is? Their arguing about importance reveals that they have not understood who they are, and so He would remind them that "in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation." A kind of humiliation is upon the Lord's disciples today as they fall silent in shame for "arguing about who was the most important, as Jesus stands a humble, silent child "in their midst" and calls them to embrace him, even as He has. They must make themselves lower than even this "little child," they must be even more "sincere of heart and steadfast," if they are to find the reward which awaits them. Yes, they must "cling to Him" even as He clings to them – even as He clings to this child – and "thus will [their] future be great"; thus will they come through the Son to the Father in heaven. "Crushing misfortune" awaits the Lord's disciples, for soon He shall be taken from them, and they will understand what His death means. But as long as they continue to "fear the Lord… [their] reward will not be lost"; for "three days after His death He will rise," and those who give their lives as He has done, even as the least of all, shall also know what His resurrection means. Oh brothers and sisters, "the Lord watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever," and we must be counted among their number. The Lord "forsakes not His faithful ones"; there is no one who has "hoped in the Lord and been disappointed." So let our hope be in Him and our service be for Him, and He will help us to endure "whatever befalls" us. If He is our "refuge in time of distress," we shall know our salvation, for whoever stands with Him in times of trial will also stand with Him in glory. Let us but remain humble before Him, as a child; let us but accept the children He would place in our arms… and the birth pangs we find will but lead us to our home in heaven. To His house the Lord leads us, even in this life. Let us listen to His teaching. ******* O LORD, even in times of crushing misfortune you are with us, if we but turn to you in humility. YHWH, you are more humble than a little child, and if we could but trust in you and be as you, you would care for us in all things. Make us as your children, as humble souls in your holy hand, that into your image we may be molded. Your Son would lead us to you, LORD. By His death He would show us the trust we must have in your love. We must give all things over unto you, even our very life's breath, to find how faithful you are, to find the life that is in you. After three days Jesus did rise, and if we but trust our own death to you, we shall rise with Him. O LORD, let us not fear trial or distress, but in such humiliation increase our faith. This is your gift to us; this would bring us closer to you. And what more should we desire than to be more like you, who are more humble than a speck of dust, whose days are without end.